69 – Gender & Sexuality in Postmillennial South Asian Comics and Graphic Narratives

October 4, 2025

8:30 am

H07

The objective of this panel is to look at how gender and sexuality are portrayed in postmillennial South Asian graphic novels and comics. With a focus on works created in the past 20 years, it will investigate how modern South Asian graphic storytellers subvert and reimagine sexual identities and conventional gender conventions in the sociocultural setting of the area. Through an analysis of significant texts from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, this study demonstrates the creative ways in which writers and artists use the visual arts to address problems like gender inequality, LGBTQ+ rights, and identity intersections. The stories examined contribute to a larger conversation on social justice and human rights in South Asia by giving marginalised voices a forum and offering critical criticism on cultural norms. This study underscores the significance of graphic narratives as a powerful tool for advocacy and change, reflecting the dynamic and diverse perspectives of postmillennial South Asian societies.

Convenors

Priyanka Tripathi
Partha Bhattacharjee

Presentations

Exploring Identity and Hybridity in Ms. Marvel: No Normal

Sugathan Anu - Department of English, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States

Navigating Gender and Sexuality in Sabba Khan’s ‘The Roles We Play’ and Ayesha Tariq’s ‘Sarah: The Suppressed Anger of the Pakistani Obedient Daughter’

Parwaiz Abdullah - Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Writing in The Common Woman: Gender in the Postmillennial Indian Graphic Narratives

Gangopadhyay Rudrani - Comparative Literature, Rutgers University, New Brunwick, United States

Breaking the Shackles of Invisible Violence in Postmillennial South Asian Graphic Narratives

BAIDYA BARNANA - SRM University-AP, SRM University-AP, Guntur, India